


Day 3: Buttercup

by GemmaRose



Series: Femslash February 2021 [1]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Awkwardness, Cute Kids, F/F, Flower Crowns, Fluff, Transformer Sparklings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,669
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29179122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: Arcee is neutral on Cybertron's parks. But Aileron loves them, so they make a great date spot regardless.
Relationships: Aileron/Arcee (Transformers)
Series: Femslash February 2021 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2142192
Kudos: 10





	Day 3: Buttercup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [withersake](https://archiveofourown.org/users/withersake/gifts).



The park wasn’t Arcee’s favourite place on Cyberton, but when she came home from a long trip Aileron loved nothing more on a lovely afternoon like this than just sitting outside and soaking up Hadeen’s light, and for that the park was perfect. Some ways behind them, a playground echoed with happily squealing sparklings. Overhelm, liliths bred on one of the colony worlds sang their joyful tunes. And at her side, Aileron deftly braided the stems of crystal flowers together, naming each new one as she picked it up and chattering happily about which xenoflora they resembled.

“And this one- you’ve been to Earth, right Arcee?”

“Yes, but I wasn’t exactly stopping to admire the scenery.” she shrugged lazily.

“Earth has _so many_ kinds of plants, it’s incredible! And so many resemble Cybertronian flora, too. Like this one!” she held up a small bloom with lovely curled petals of translucent yellow crystal, veined with thin threads of gold which, in the center of the blossom, pushed up in a cluster of conductive nubs for binary bees to connect with and twisted down below the bloom in a sturdy little stem. “If I showed this to a human, they’d say it looks like a buttercup.”

Arcee ran the alien word through her databanks, then nodded. “The resemblance is uncanny.”

“And it’s hardly the only one, either.” Aileron said, adding the buttercup lookalike to the braid she was weaving before turning the whole thing over, a riot of pinks and silvers and golds. “Almost all of these have human equivalents.”

“That’s...” Arcee frowned, trying to count off many different flowers Aileron had woven together. “That’s more than I expected.”

“One of the mechs who tagged along on my last expedition- Silverflake, I think- they’re trying to figure out why there’s so many similarities between Cybertronian and Earth lifeforms. Not just the plants, but mechanimals and even ourselves!”

“Sounds like the work of a lifetime.” Arcee commented, picking up a darker bloom and running a slight charge from her fingertips to magnetize it. “Are you planning on taking them on again?” she asked, affixing the blossom to the side of Aileron’s helm.

“Oh, now and then, I’m sure.” Aileron shrugged. “But not every voyage. It’d be boring, just going to the same part of space every time.”

“Perhaps I’ll accompany you on one of those trips.” Arcee smiled, picking up another flower to magnetise to Aileron’s helm as Aileron twisted the braid into a circle and began weaving the loose end into the beginning. “I’m sure the two of us can find some way to keep it from being too boring.”

Aileron giggled, and they’d just leaned in towards each other when Arcee felt one of her swords _move_ in its scabbard. She tensed, field snapping cool as she scanned for threats, and the small thing clinging to her back kibble let out a squeak of surprise. Aileron also let out a sound of surprise, straightening up as Arcee reached behind herself to try to grab her tiny assailant. She couldn’t quite manage though, they were dexterous and squirmy and her fingers found no kibble or seams to hook on for better grip.

“I’ve got her.” Aileron said, and the warm little blob was lifted from her back with the tiniest, most offended squeak Arcee had ever heard. “Swords aren’t for bitties.” she chided gently, using both hands to hold a small pink sparkling with a golden visor.

“I got attacked by a _sparkling_?” she asked, disbelief colouring her glyphs. Said sparkling twisted in Aileron’s hold and reached out with the tiny, nubby things which would one day be its- her? its- arms, making a demanding little sound.

“I think she likes your swords.” Aileron giggled, holding the sparkling more firmly. “Silly bitty, those are _sharp_.”

Arcee, for the first time in quite a long while, found herself lost for words. She’d never interacted with sparklings much, even as far back as she could remember in the Darklands. They’d always been scared of her, and she’d had no interest in them. But this one seemed _adamant_ that it wanted to be held by her, and when Aileron held the sparkling out Arcee gave her a helpless look.

“How do I hold it?”

Aileron’s field pulsed with affection so strong it ached, and leaned in quickly to plant a kiss on Arcee’s cheek. “At this age, you can hold them basically however. You could dangle her by the pede and she’d probably just giggle.” Aileron bounced the sparkling, who made another sound Arcee... _thought_ was happy? She didn’t know bitty noises, but the thing wasn’t screaming its little helm off or dripping optic cleanser from behind its visor so hopefully its carrier wouldn’t take her helm off.

Aileron set the sparkling against her chest, and Arcee lifted her hands to hold it in place as it immediately tried to climb her to get back to her swords. “You really should hold this.” she said after a moment, prising the sparkling off her armour and holding it out to Aileron again.

“Alright.” Aileron chuckled, setting the bitty on her shoulder. “Let’s go get you back to your creators, hmm?” she cooed, rubbing one fingertip under the sparkling’s chin. Either it didn’t like that feeling or it was upset about being returned, because it huddled down into a pouty loaf of sentio as they stood up and Arcee re-settled her sword which the sparkling had attempted to steal.

The playground behind them was fenced in on all four sides, with only a small opening where two parts of the fence overlapped without meeting up for mechs to enter and exit. It was around this opening that the creators and caretakers of the present sparklings had gathered, discussing whatever it was creators talked about. “Hello!” Aileron greeted as they walked up. “Do any of you recognize this sparkling? She came over to say hi to us.” Aileron removed the sparkling from her shoulder and held it out.

“She was definitely in here earlier, but she’s not mine.” one of them said, quickly echoed by the rest of the group.

“I think she’s a colony bitty.” one of the other mechs said. “Try the benches in the playpark.”

“Thank you.” Arcee said stiffly. The sparkling in Aileron’s hands pouted harder, curling up into a tight little ball which radiated a vague but powerful discontent.

“Hello.” Aileron greeted the handful of mechs on the benches as soon as they were in range. “I believe one of your sparklings found us.”

Four helms turned their direction, and one pale, mid-sized mech with some strange sort of rotor on his back shot to his pedes, startling the pink and white sparkling which had been napping in his lap. “Coralbreak!” he exclaimed, shifting the rousing sparkling to one arm as he rushed over to them. “How did you get out of the playpark, sweetie?”

“We were wondering that too, honestly.” Aileron chuckled, handing over the sulking sparkling, which uncurled some at a chirp from its pink and white sibling.

“I’m _so_ sorry. Thank you for bringing her back.” the mech inclined his helm slightly, and Arcee thought she glimpsed a flash of golden optics behind the heavily tinted green visor which covered his whole face. “Oh, bitty byte, where’s your bow?” he fussed, petting the top of her helm, where her sibling indeed had a pretty silver bow with blue bubbles on it.

“It was no problem, really.” Aileron demurred. “She’s quite a spirited little bean, isn’t she?”

“You have no idea.” the mech sighed heavily. “She wanted to bring her toy swords to the park today, despite _knowing_ they’re not allowed here.” his tone slid towards chastising at the end, and the sparkling curled up into a pout ball again.

“You gave a sparkling swords?” Arcee asked, the words coming out shocked and completely unplanned.

“Toy ones, and it _wasn’t_ my idea.” the mech sounded like he was rolling his optics.

“Well, that explains why she was so interested in you, Ms. Best Swordsmech on Cybertron.” Aileron teased, nudging Arcee in the side with her elbow.

“That would explain it, yes.” The mech nodded, the gold detailing on his helm glinting in the sun. “Again, thank you for returning her.”

“It really was nothing.” Arcee said before Aileron could open her mouth, and stooped slightly to put herself level with the little pink pout-ball. “Coralbreak, is it?” she asked rhetorically, and a golden visor peeked up out of the curled bundle of sentio. “Next time, little warrior, don’t run off alone. Your family will worry.”

The sparkling stared at her, optics wide and bright behind her little visor, and Arcee straightened with a sigh. Can’t say she didn’t try.

“Say goodbye to the nice femmes, Coralbreak.” the mech holding her urged, and one tiny nub lifted next to Coralbreak’s visor to wave as she beeped something Arcee thought sounded rather happy.

“Aww.” Aileron cooed. “Bye bye Coralbreak. Be good!” she waved back, and together they left the playpark, heading back out to their spot in the grass where Aileron’s ringed flower braid lay almost-finished.

“Even in the darklands, we wouldn’t give weapons to ones so young.” Arcee muttered, once they’d sat back down.

“Oh come on, you’ve never seen sparklings chasing each other around with mag-dart guns?” Aileron laughed, taking the flower braid in her hands again. “I had a foam sword when I wasn’t much older than she is.”

“Still.” Arcee frowned. “He said they were worried about someone getting hurt.”

“Arcee, I’ve seen sparklings crack an optic on a pile of blocks.” Aileron said, her tone matter-of-fact. “Creators worry, it’s part of the job description. Coralbreak’s got a good one.” she tucked the last stem, and held the little wrath up with a triumphant sound. “Done!” she rose to her pedes, and when Arcee looked up she found herself crowned with the ring of flowers. “There, perfect.”

“You’re adorable.” she smiled, and pulled Aileron down for a kiss.


End file.
